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-My name is Nick Duda and
I'm running for King County

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Council. I'm running because
our region needs more

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accountability from its
leaders on how we tax, how we

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spend, and most importantly
whether our policies are

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actually producing the
outcomes they promised.

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Right now families are
paying more for everything,

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Many businesses are struggling,
and government at every level

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is facing budget deficits.

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That is not something that
happened to us, but rather

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it's the result of policy
choices that have gone

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unchallenged for too long.

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This lack of accountability
shows up most clearly in

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homelessness and public safety.

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We have spent enormous sums on
housing, but far too little

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on treatment and recovery.

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Any honest assessment has to
admit that our priorities

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are out of balance.

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Simply put, we are losing more
lives, degrading more public

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space, and eroding public trust
through fiscal mismanagement

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all at the same time.

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We all want our region to be
compassionate and well-governed.

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In so many ways, we're just
not doing either very well.

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My opponent has been on the
other side of many of these

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issues for years, and it's fair
to connect her record to the

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results people see every day.

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Attempting to defund the police
was a mistake that cost our

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community in multiple ways.

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Layering taxes and regulations
onto businesses have

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made it harder to operate
and more expensive for their

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customers and community.

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Recent surveys show that
only 12% of local small

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businesses are making ends
meet and that only 9% of the

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businesses in the state are
considering expanding here.

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That's not good for
business or workers.

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And our approach to housing
and homelessness, which

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lacks expectations around
treatment and recovery,

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is not compassionate if the
results are continued suffering.

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These are policy choices,
and elected officials

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have to own the outcomes of
the policies they champion.

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I believe in good governance.

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I believe in programs that work.

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I support fair wages and
a good quality of life

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for people who work hard.

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But when policies falter,
we should be honest enough

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to say so and brave enough
to change direction.

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I'm a West Seattle resident,
the father of two young kids,

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the son of a union mailman,
and I've spent my career

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managing budgets
and driving growth

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all deeply rooted in data.

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I'm running to bring
balance, accountability,

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and measurable outcomes
back to King County.

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I'm Nick Duda, and I hope
to earn your support.